Transportation 2035 - State of Rhode Island: Division of Planning

December 2012high-speed Acela rail service utilizing new equipment commenced late in 2000. Future needs include continuation of existing service at reasonable prices, newservice at the Warwick Interlink, and improved intermodal connections at terminals to encourage car free tourism and business travel. The capacity andcondition of the Northeast Corridor must be preserved and improved to meet the growing demand for passenger rail service in the Corridor. This is a nationalasset and its future is of great concern to the congressional delegations of all of the northeastern states.CARPOOL / VANPOOLThe Commuter Resource Rhode Island program is operated by RIPTA under contract with RIDOT. The purpose of the program is to attract commuters tocarpool, vanpool, and enhanced bus services. According to the 2010 American Community Survey 80.3 percent of Rhode Island workers age 16 and overcommute to work alone in a single occupant vehicle, which is close to the national median of 76.6 percent. Other modes of transportation for workerstraveling to work in 2010 include 2.8 percent utilizing public transportation, 8.2 percent carpool, 3.8 percent walk, and 3.3 percent work at home. Efforts toincrease auto occupancy for work trips (carpool matching) would generate air quality and energy conservation benefits, which can greatly improve theefficiency of peak-hour travel. Carpooling is especially practical for work trips to suburban and out-of-state employment centers that lack peak-hour busservice. RIPTA has a web-based carpool matching service to help capture this market 1 along with a reduced rate carpool parking program at the ProvidencePlace Mall. These trips would be diverted from single-occupant auto travel rather than transit or vanpooling. Vanpools are especially suited to suburbanemployment sites that are not served or are inadequately served by transit. Characteristics that facilitate the formation of efficient vanpools are largeemployee bases, concentration of employee residences in a few areas, and longer-than-average trip lengths. The State of Rhode Island, as the largestemployer, should be targeted for special promotions to enable employees to choose an alternative to the single-occupant auto for work trips. Policy changesin the provision of free and low-cost parking, and incentive- laden commuter options (subsidized bus/commuter rail passes, free commuter rail parking, etc.)must be considered to provide success to this type of endeavor. In 2008, the General Assembly passed a bill directing the Department of Administration toconvene a committee to produce a state employee transportation guide plan intended to reduce single occupant vehicle commuting. This plan is still underdevelopment and is expected to be forwarded to the General Assembly in early 2013.1 http://alternetrides.com/List_Destinations_t.asp?Sponsor=81759282Transportation 2035 (2012 Update)State Guide Plan Element 611Rhode Island Statewide Planning ProgramPage 2-9